MONMOUTHSHIRE councillors will debate a draft response to plans to move dementia treatment provisions from Chepstow Community Hospital, in a move which the authority says will have a detrimental impact on those with mental ill health.

Plans by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) to restructure the existing format, if approved, would mean dementia patients in the county would have to travel to either St Woolos Hospital in Newport or Ysbyty Tri Chwm Hospital in Ebbw Vale.

A public consultation, which ran between November 2017 and January this year, was met with numerous concerns, with a senior mental health consultant highlighting issues with ease of access, a lack of public transport and even problems with the consultation process itself.

The proposals also faced opposition from Monmouth MP David Davies, who said the closure should be delayed until the completion of Gwent’s new £350m ‘super-hospital’ in 2021.

A draft response to ABUHB by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) says that, while: “(it) absolutely supports the commitment of the health board to patient safety and quality of care,” and it recognises the challenges facing the board, it also adds it: “cannot, however, support as a council the preferred option for the future of older adult mental health services as set out in the consultation document.

“We cannot see evidence in the preferred option within the consultation that this is the best outcome for our citizens,” it goes on to say.

“Indeed we are concerned if implemented that it will have a detrimental impact on older adults with mental ill health, their carers and wider services in Monmouthshire. Our concerns are around both the impact on current, and future generations.”

The response also highlights concerns surrounding the lack of consideration for demographics of older people in Monmouthshire.

The response states the proportion of people aged over 65, 75 and 85 are higher in Monmouthshire than any other Gwent counties. In addition, the number of over 85s in the county are projected to rise by 185 per cent by 2039.

“Nowhere does the consultation document consider the proportion of older people, and prevalence of dementia, as a significant factor in option appraisal,” it says.

“Our view as a council is that this means the option appraisal is significantly flawed in considering how best to meet current and future needs.”

Another issue, travel time, also not taken into account. The response highlights how there is “no mitigation offered as to how the increased travel time for Monmouthshire carers will be addressed by the Health Board.”

“It is unclear from the consultation where people from Monmouth and central Monmouthshire will access services,” it adds. “Without evidence of proper consideration of accessibility issues, we again consider the option appraisal to be flawed and the conclusions cannot be supported.

“Carers will frequently be old and vulnerable and the consequences of the change will be further travel, over greater distances, compounded by poor public transport and challenges around car parking.”

There are also concerns that the withdrawal of the dementia ward from Chepstow Hospital would represent a further blow to the facility.

“The withdrawal of minor injury services was a blow to the south of the county,” the report says.

“Further service reductions, unless they are balanced by firm commitments from the Health Board to expand other services, will severely undermine the confidence of the local population, in the Health Board’s commitment to services in Chepstow.”

The draft response will be debated by MCC’s Adults Select Committee today (10th January) at 10am.